PLANTATION, Fla., — DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has been entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for performing the largest pizza delivery in history for Pizzas 4 Patriots, a non-profit organization. Since 2008, DHL Express and Pizzas 4 Patriots have joined forces to bring a ‘slice of home’ to U.S. troops serving overseas.

In July 2012, DHL Express donated the services of its global express shipping network, delivering 30,000 Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas from Chicago, Illinois to U.S. troops serving in Kandahar, Bagram and Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. The delivery, covering a distance of over 6,800 miles within 36 hours, was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in April 2013 as the ‘largest pizza delivery’.

“We’re very grateful to Pizzas 4 Patriots for giving us this opportunity to bring some of the comforts of home to the amazing men and women who are serving our country thousands of miles away from family and friends,” said Ian Clough, CEO of DHL Express U.S. “I’m also extremely proud of our dedicated employees, all of whom are trained ‘International Specialists’, for never hesitating to take on challenging assignments like this. Feedback from U.S. troops who received the care packages has been heartwarming as they truly appreciate the recognition for their valuable service.”

The delivery process involved packing 30,000 ready-to-bake pizzas, weighing over 23 tons, onto a Boeing 777 freighter. The pizzas were then transported from the DHL Express Americas hub in Cincinnati to the DHL Express air hub in Bahrain. From there, the massive care package was forwarded on by DHL Express to the U.S. military’s operational bases in Afghanistan, in time for U.S. Independence Day celebrations on July 4. In order to maintain the quality of the perishable pizzas during transit, they were packed in 11 tons of dry ice. DHL Quality Control Centers also closely monitored the consignment throughout the journey.

Pizzas 4 Patriots is the brainchild of retired military officer Mark Evans and his son, Kent, who founded the non-profit organization in order to send pizzas to U.S. service personnel stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq for major holidays and celebrations, such as the Super Bowl and U.S. Independence Day. To date, DHL Express has delivered over 120,000 pizzas to Afghanistan and Iraq for Pizzas 4 Patriots.

“DHL Express has been a great community partner,” said Evans, “and through their support we have been able to make a positive difference in the lives of U.S. servicemen and women around the world by bringing them wonderful care packages from home to lift their spirits.